ICC Newsletter – March 12, 2018

The U.S. Congress will decide soon, most likely this week, whether to include the Conscience Protection Act (CPA) in must-pass government funding legislation.

Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York, chair of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Pro-Life Activities, and Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville, chair of the USCCB’s Committee for Religious Liberty, are urging you to flood Congress with emails and calls asking for enactment of the Conscience Protection Act as part of the 2018 funding bill and to pray for this outcome. The bill would protect nurses and other health care professionals from being forced to participate in abortions. The bishops’ statement statement can be read here.

Please email or call your Senators and Representative today and urge them to include the CPA in the FY 2018 appropriations omnibus bill. For those who don’t have access to email, Members of Congress can be reached by calling the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and asking to be connected with your Representative or Senators. Click here for the email alert and sample message.

LAST WEEK AT THE STATE CAPITOL

A priority of the Iowa Catholic Conference here in Iowa has been to defeat Senate File 481, the immigration enforcement bill. It passed the Iowa House Public Safety Committee last week by a vote of 11-10 and is now eligible for consider by the Iowa House. When/if the bill passes the House, it would return to the Senate for further consideration.

Senate File 2344, the campus free speech bill, passed a House subcommittee. The ICC supports a provision of the bill which would allow campus groups to choose their own leaders. The opposition asserts that state resources (student fees) should not be spent on organizations that “discriminate.”

The ICC testified in a subcommittee meeting in support of House File 2228, a tax credit for donations to nonprofit groups which conduct regenerative medicine research with adult stem cells. This would assist the John Paul II Medical Research Institute in Iowa City. There may yet be another subcommittee meeting to discuss the bill.

The ICC is monitoring House File 2456, which will provide for additional core mental health services to be funded by the government.

Pope Francis, in his encyclical letter “Laudato Si” has called us to protect creation and care for our common home. Energy efficiency is a relatively inexpensive way to help us address our energy needs while lessening our reliance on fossil fuels.

The ICC is discouraging legislators from undermining energy efficiency policies. Utility customers in Iowa are charged a fee for energy efficiency programs. Senate File 2311 would make participation in energy efficiency programs optional, which would likely reduce participation, and therefore reduce the level of investment utilities are required to make in energy efficiency programs. This in turn will reduce financial support for the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP). This program helps low-income people save on their utility bills. Click here for the action alert.

U.S. BISHOPS CALL ON LEADERS TO ADDRESS GUN VIOLENCE

In the aftermath of the tragic attack at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, Bishop Frank J. Dewane of Venice, Florida, Chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, and Bishop George V. Murry, S.J., of Youngstown, Ohio, Chairman of the Committee on Catholic Education, urged national leaders to finally come together and address the crisis of gun violence in a comprehensive way.

The statement reads, in part: “We (also) continue our decades-long advocacy for common-sense gun measures as part of a comprehensive approach to the reduction of violence in society and the protection of life … We must always remember what is at stake as we take actions to safeguard our communities and honor human life. In the words of St. John, ‘let us love not in word or speech but in deed and truth (1 Jn. 3:18).’”

Here in Iowa, the ICC opposes state Constitutional amendments that would make the regulation of guns more difficult. Senate Joint Resolution 2009 and House Joint Resolution 2009 are proposed state Constitutional amendments that would subject any restrictions of the right of the people to keep and bear arms to “strict scrutiny.” The ICC recommends opposition because it would have the effect of making any regulation of firearms difficult and may put current state law regarding background checks and permitting at risk. These amendments would have to pass both chambers this year, and then again next year, before going to a vote of the people of Iowa in 2020. Please send a message to your Senator and Representative in opposition at www.votervoice.net/ICC/campaigns/57269/respond.

About ICC

The Iowa Catholic Conference is the official public policy voice of the bishops of Iowa. At the state legislature we advocate for policies that respect the life and dignity of the human person, and apply the principles of Catholic social teaching to critical issues of the day. We encourage Catholics to inform their conscience and participate in the political process.